“In Him was life, and the life was the light of man."

Reflection: Christmas Day

“We have come to Spread Light in Darkness” - Rabbi on Hanukkah - Reflection for Christmas Day, Thursday 25 December.

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of man." (John 1:4, Christmas Day) by Monsignor Daniel McHugh, the Co-ordinator for Ethnic Chaplaincies in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

We speak of Christmas as the time when we “proclaim hope to a wounded world” and indeed it is: the light of Christ shines out in a broken world.

Mgr Daniel's Reflection for Christmas Day is now available to watch via the diocesan website.

We wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

His Grace's Christmas Message

As we celebrate the joy of Christmas, Archbishop Bernard Longley offers his personal greetings from St Chad’s Cathedral.

Reflecting on this Jubilee year, he reminds us that Christmas is a season of hope, calling us to journey together as pilgrims of hope towards Christ, the Prince of Peace.

We invite you to watch his Christmas message and share in the blessing of peace this holy season.

Bishops affirm the true nature of Catholic witness and worship at Christmas

Archbishop Bernard Longley and Bishop Richard Moth have released a statement affirming what the coming of Christ at Christmas means to Catholics, expressing their shared concern at societal tensions and division in our communities, something that does not “reflect the spirit or message of Christmas.”

The Chair of the Department for Dialogue and Unity, and Chair of the Department for Social Justice of the Bishops’ Conference respectively, Archbishop Longley and Bishop Moth describe our participation in Advent and the celebration of Christmas as “our lived response in opposition to those who seek division.”

The statement presents hope, joy, peace, and love as the incarnational antidote to these divisions.

Prayer of the Faithful, (Bidding Prayers), Christmas Day 2025

A weekly service provided by the Catholic Union to parishes, schools and communities in England, Scotland and Wales.

Priest: Let us turn in prayer to Our Heavenly Father and bring before him our intercessions as we turn towards Bethlehem.

We pray for the Church in the world, for our Holy Father, Pope Leo, our bishops and our parish community this Christmas.

Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

May we continue to ponder with reverence the mystery of the Incarnation when Christ humbled himself to share in our humanity.

Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

We ask that, for all the world’s troubles, and our own cares, we remain confident in the Lord and rejoice in his coming.

Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

That at Christmas we find time and space to welcome those who are alone, are isolated, and without families of their own.

Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

We remember those with gratitude who work at Christmas, serving their communities.

Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

We pray for continuing peace in the Holy Land, for peace in Ukraine, for those suffering conflict in Yemen and Sudan.

Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

We pray for those in our parish community who are sick, especially [insert names]

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

We pray for those who have recently died, including [insert names] and those whose anniversaries are at this time, [insert names]

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer

We ask Mary, our Mother, to intercede on our behalf: Hail Mary …

Let us pray for our own intentions in silence.

Priest: God Our Father, hear these petitions which your people place before you. We make all our prayers through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

New Archbishop of Westminster

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Right Reverend Richard Moth as Archbishop of Westminster.

Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Southwark on 3 July 1982, Archbishop-elect Moth has served as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton since 2015. Prior to that, he was the Catholic Bishop of the Forces from 2009 to 2015.

Archbishop-elect Moth will become the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, succeeding Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who has served in the role since 2009.

Cardinal Nichols will now become Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Westminster until Archbishop-elect Moth is Installed at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 14 February 2026.

Lourdes Pilgrimage 2026

Monday 25 to Saturday 30 May

Booking is now open for travel and accommodation.

Birmingham Lourdes Pilgrimage by Air

5 nights from £986pp including flights, accommodation, all transfers in France and meals.

Single Room Supplements apply.

Birmingham Lourdes Pilgrimage by Coach

4 nights from £716pp including transport, accommodation and meals.

Single Room Supplements apply.

Full details can be found on the Lourdes section of the diocesan website:

Parishes invited to share saints resources

Work is underway on an updated Diocesan Calendar and Supplement, which will include new prayers and readings and, for the first time, St John Henry Newman.

While this awaits approval from the Holy See, the Archdiocese is inviting parishes, schools and individuals to share any existing resources they have about local saints and blesseds - such as histories, prayers or pilgrimage material.

These contributions will help develop new diocesan resources to deepen knowledge and devotion across parish life.

Invitation: Feedback on the Jubilee Year

The Office for Mission and the Archdiocese of Birmingham would love to hear your feedback on the Jubilee Year, 'Pilgrims of Hope'.

In turn this will be shared with the Bishops' Conference of England & Wales (CBCEW) to help our Church prepare for the Extraordinary Jubilee in 2033, marking 2,000 years since the events of Our Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

All welcome to complete a short survey.

Job Opportunity at St Mary's College, Oscott

Vacancy for a permanent, part-time Domestic Operative at Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield.

25 hours per week, five hours a day, to include some weekends and evenings, term-time only.

Deadline for applications is Sunday 11 January.

Interviews will be held in mid-January, to start in February 2026.

Job description and more information can be found on the diocesan website:

Monthly SEN Mass, Northfield

Our Lady and St Brigid's, Northfield.

All welcome to join a special educational needs (SEN) Mass on the fourth Sunday of each month at 4pm.

Next Mass:

• Sunday 28 December

Peace Sunday and the Pope's World Peace Day

The Catholic Church marks the World Day of Peace, instituted by Pope St Paul VI, on 1 January each year.

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales designate the second Sunday in Ordinary Time as ‘Peace Sunday’ – on 18 January in 2026.

The theme of Pope Leo's World Peace Day message is: Peace be with you all: towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace.

Pax Christi, the international Catholic movement for peace, has produced a variety of online and paper resources to celebrate the theme.

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